Metru Uni: 100 Themes
by A Girl Named Ed
Summary: Basically, a 100 themes challenge centered around characters and situations of my fanfic Metru Uni.  #21: No Way Out.  Dume is a prisoner inside his own head, and there is nothing he can do about it.
1. 38: Sick

**Well, here we are, folks. I've been talking about it for a while, and I've finally posted a couple of these on my deviantart account, so I figured I should post them here too.  
For those of you who don't quite know what this is, it's a 100 Theme Challenge, made up by babybrowns on deviantart. Basically, I have 100 themes (i.e. heart, sick, fire, future, snow, etc.), and I have to write a oneshot for each. I'm choosing to do them centered around my fanfiction Metru Uni, so if you don't know it, you might want to read it first.  
And I know that this is out of order, but I'm not planning on putting them in numerical order. I'll be posting more as the fic progresses, because certain ones can't be posted until certain things happen (i.e. 'Sparkle' can't be posted until Vakama meets Gali at least once, and 'Burn' can't be posted until the Visorak storyline).**

**Summary: Slightly delerious from a fever, Nuju calls for someone named 'Ihu.' Who is that?**

Characters: Nuju, Whenua, the other Toa Metru (briefly)

**Warnings: mentions of death, and possible Whenua/Nuju if you squint and tilt your head to the left.**

**Genre: Hurt/Comfort, I guess, and Friendship.**

**So thanks for reading, and please review! Constructive criticism is always appreciated.  
*I don't own Bionicle, but character designs and pretty much anything that's non-canon belongs to me.***

#38—Sick

"Doctor, Doctor, gimme the news, I got a bad case of lovin you!" ("Bad Case of Loving You," by Robert Palmer)

Nuju sat bolt upright. _Where...where am I?_

Then it all came back to him: the meeting, the fever, strong arms lifting him and carrying him away, everything going black...

_Maybe Matau's right, and I have been working too hard lately,_ he thought with a rueful smile. The smile immediately dropped from his face as he looked around and realised he was alone in the room. _I'm alone? Oh, God, I'm alone! No!_ Fever-induced panic started rising in his chest. _D-don't leave me alone! Ihu...Ihu!_

"Ihu!" he yelled, his voice slightly strangled.

There were footsteps, then his door slammed open. "Nuju! What's wrong?" Whenua asked, crossing the room to his friend in two quick strides. He was surprised beyond belief when Nuju scrambled to his knees and grabbed the older man in a tight hug, burying his face in his shoulder. "Nuju?"

"Ihu...d-don't leave me al-lone again," he whispered, tears slipping down his face.

"Nuju, it's okay...it's me, Whenua. You're not alone; I'm here with you. It's okay. Shhh," Whenua said, stroking Nuju's hair. "Shhh, it's okay. I'm here."

A sob forced its way out of Nuju's throat, and he clutched Whenua tighter. Whenua glanced at the doorway, where the other Toa Metru were watching. After Nuju passed out, they'd taken him to his room and continued their meeting in the kitchen. When Whenua had heard Nuju yelling, he'd immediately run for him, his big brother side surfacing. At a barely perceptible nod, the others backed off, Vakama closing the door. Whenua would take care of it.

"Nuju, are you okay now?" he asked as Nuju slowly detached himself from Whenua, still sniffling. The Ice Toa nodded. "Good. Here, I'll get you some medicine." He was stopped by a hand gripping his shirt.

"D...don't leave me," he whispered. "N-not again..."

Hoping that this was the fever talking and that this upset, clingy Nuju wasn't going to be a permanent thing, Whenua nodded. "I'll just be a second, Nuju. I'll be right back. Promise."

This seemed to sate Nuju, who nodded and let go, sitting on the edge of the bed expectantly. Whenua quickly went into the bathroom and grabbed the Advil from the edge of the sink and ran a cup of water, then, without even pausing to say anything to his teammates, headed back to Nuju. "Here you go, buddy," he said, handing them to him. Nuju took two of the pills, then laid back down.

"Th-thanks, Whenua," he mumbled. "I...I'm sorry you had to see that."

"It's okay. No big deal." He sat on the edge of the bed. "Look, Nuju, I don't want to pry, but...you said something about 'Ihu.' Who or what is Ihu?"

Nuju cringed. "I...I said that?" Whenua nodded. "Ihu is...was...my best friend all through high school."

The black man caught the use of the past tense. "Did something happen?" Nuju squirmed uncomfortably and refused to meet his eyes. "Did you get in a fight or something?"

"Oh, no, geez, nothing like that," the blonde protested, sitting up. "Ow," he muttered, grabbing his now-throbbing head. "I'm fine," he snapped, slapping away Whenua's hands, which had gone to make him lie down again. "We didn't get in a fight or anything. He...a few weeks before we graduated, Ihu was in a car accident. He was crossing the road to get to my house, and this drunk driver smashed into him."

Whenua didn't know what to say. That didn't seem to matter, though, because Nuju didn't seem to want any words of sympathy or anything else. "It just...that just killed me. I was so depressed for so long. I'd never lost anyone close to me, ever, and I just felt so alone in the world. I mean, I still had my family, but it's just not the same, you know? Kopaka and Matoro are great and all, but Ihu was my _best friend_. You just can't replace that. I decided that if I closed myself off, nothing could ever hurt me again."

"Well that was dumb," Whenua said before he could stop himself. He clapped a hand over his mouth. "I'm _so_ sorry, I didn't mean—"

Nuju laughed. "No, you're right, it was dumb. I guess I'd been listening to a lot of Simon and Garfunkel or something. I dunno. I just..." He hung his head. "I don't want to be alone anymore. It sucks."

Whenua pulled the shorter man into a hug. "Don't worry. You're not alone anymore. You have all of us, remember?" He grinned. "Especially me. I seem to be the 'big brother' type around here."

Nuju was flushed bright red, but Whenua couldn't tell if that was because he was embarrassed or because of the fever. Either way, it was adorable. "R-right," the younger man mumbled.

"Okay, now back to sleep with you," Whenua said good-naturedly, making the Ice Toa lie down. "I'll come check on you later, but if you need anything, just holler, okay?"

"Okay," Nuju replied, snuggling under the covers. "Whenua? Can you do me a favour?"

"Name it."

"I...c-could you not tell the others about Ihu? I'm just not ready to open up that much yet."

Whenua nodded. He needed to open up at his own pace, and Whenua would respect that. "Don't worry," he said with a smile, stroking Nuju's hair. "It's our little secret." And with that, Nuju blushed, smiled and fell asleep, while Whenua went back to the meeting, emotions conflicting in his heart.


	2. 39: Transform

**Um...so I've written several of these involving Lhikan, and especially Lhikan and Dume and Nidhiki. I'm a sucker for non-canon father-son relationships (hence all my Matoro-centric fics). This is one of them.**

**Summary: Lhikan had heard the lectures. He'd been to the assemblies. He knew what to do when approached by a stranger. Sort of.**

**Characters: Lhikan, Nidhiki (briefly), Dume**

Warnings: Er...none, I think. :O

**Genre: uuuuuuuhhhhhh...I don't know. :/**

**Thanks for reading, and please review! Constructive criticism is always highly appreciated.  
*I don't own Bionicle, but I do own character designs, OC's, etc. You can use them if you ask first, though.***

#39—Transform

"Transformers! Robots in disguise! Transformers! More than meets the eye!" (_Transformers_ theme song)

Lhikan waved goodbye to his best friend Nidhiki and continued walking along the sidewalk. Since he only lived about two blocks from school, he had to walk every day. When he was little, his mom had driven him, but he was ten now, and big enough to walk by himself. He'd heard the lectures. He'd been to the assemblies. He knew what to do when approached by a stranger.

"Excuse me."

With a yelp, Lhikan whirled around to see a tall, middle-aged man wearing a suit standing behind him. "Would you happen to be Lhikan Sparks?" he asked politely.

Shaking his head frantically, Lhikan nearly tripped backing up. "N-no, sorry, you've got the wrong guy..."

"Really? Because it says so on your backpack."

Heat rose in his face as he realised he was stuck. "Um...what do you want?" he asked boldly.

"I have something for you," the man said, digging into his pocket.

Lhikan's eyes widened and he took off down the sidewalk. "Wait!" the man called, running after him.

Fire suddenly burst from the ground in front of him. Lhikan screamed and skidded to a stop, landing with a thud on his backside. He scrambled away, only to bump into something. He looked up to see he'd run into the stranger's legs. "I'm not here to hurt you," the man said gently. He was holding a glowing sphere, which he held out to Lhikan. "Here. This is for you. Take it."

Shaking his head, Lhikan scrambled back, only to remember the fire. The man knelt and placed the ball in Lhikan's hands. The ten-year-old was frozen in fear, but the man stood again and just stood there. He didn't make any other attempts to touch or attack Lhikan.

The ball felt strange—like stone. Without thinking, Lhikan started turning it over and over in his hands. If it was stone, it was very well-cut and polished stone, because it was very smooth.

He heard a sigh, and looked up at the man who had chased him down the street. He was aware of the heat behind him disappearing, and he guessed the fire had gone out. "I suppose I was wrong," the man was saying, reaching towards Lhikan again to take the stone away.

Suddenly, the glow that surrounded the ball increased tenfold. Lhikan squeezed his eyes shut, but didn't let go of the stone. The man stumbled back, shielding his eyes. The glow then started to go into Lhikan, who started to scream again. What was it? It hurt! He felt like his body was burning up from the inside out. His heart beat faster than was healthy for a human; it felt like it was going to explode! Just when Lhikan thought he couldn't take it anymore, it stopped. Everything stopped. Feeling sort of numb, he opened his eyes and looked around. Nothing had changed. There were scorch marks on the pavement where the fire had sprung up, but other than that...

Then he looked at himself.

He nearly screamed again, but managed to stop himself.

For some odd reason, he was wearing a red tunic. Under the tunic was a gold shirt and puffy gold pants. Knee-high red boots replaced his sneakers, and there was a red belt around his middle with a silver buckle. On the buckle was some kind of insignia, but he couldn't quite make out what it was. He looked like some kind of Dungeons and Dragons nerd, like his cousin.

He looked up and saw that the man was kneeling in front of him. "What...what did you do?" he asked weakly.

"Congratulations," the man said quietly. "You are now a Toa, Lhikan Sparks. A Toa of Fire, to be exact. Like me."

"Who are you?" Lhikan demanded.

"My name is Dume."


	3. 61: Message

****

**Another theme! I have about 35 written now, but only about 17 that are postable because of where I am in the fic. This is actually the first one I wrote.  
****  
Summary: The Frost brothers talk in an online chat room, but sadly are interrupted by Nuju's least favourite Toa Metru.**

Characters: Matoro, Nuju, Kopaka, Matau, Ehrye (mentioned), Whenua (mentioned)

Warnings: very mild language, and Matau being an idiot.

Genre: Humour

Thanks for reading, and please review! Constructive criticism is always highly appreciated.  
*I don't own Bionicle, but I do own character designs, OC's, etc. You can use them if you ask first, though.*

#61—Message

"Please, Mister Postman, is there a letter, a letter for me?" ("Please, Mister Postman," by the Beatles)

**Pet_Shop_Boy:** hey bro u there?

**That_Icy_Bastard25:** Of course. How are you, Matoro?

**Pet_Shop_Boy:** not bad, ppl r asking bout u.

**That_Icy_Bastard25:** ?

**Pet_Shop_Boy:** yeah the kids school want 2 know what ur up 2.

**Pet_Shop_Boy:** most of them haven't realized u graduated

**That_Icy_Bastard25:** Seriously? I haven't been home in over a month and they're just noticing this now?

**Pet_Shop_Boy:** lol ikr? fail

**Paka-Sama: **what are u 2 talking about w/o me?

**That_Icy_Bastard25:** Oh hi Kopaka. Nothing much.

**Crazy_Pilot13: **hey nuhu, i've figured out your username!

**That_Icy_Bastard25:** Matau, we live in the same room. What the hell.

**That_Icy_Bastard25:** And you've managed to reach a new level of stupid by spelling my name wrong.

**Pet_Shop_Boy:** Nuju, who's this?

**That_Icy_Bastard25:** Rrrg. This is my roommate, Matau.

**That_Icy _Bastard25:** Matau, 'Pet_Shop_Boy' is my brother Matoro, and 'Paka-Sama' is my brother Kopaka.

**Paka-Sama:** the pleasure's all yours.

**Crazy_Pilot13:** dude he's just like u nu!

**Pet_Shop_Boy:** hello. nice 2 meet u

**That_Icy_Bastard25:** Call me 'Nu' again and I'll personally feed you your own buttocks.

**Paka-Sama:** nice 2 c u haven't changed at all, nuju

**Paka-Sama:** and matoro if mom catches u on the computer during ur grounding again she'll kill u

**That_Icy_Bastard25:** Grounding? Matoro, you got grounded?

**Crazy_Pilot13:** it's no big deal nuju i got grounded all the time

**That_Icy_Bastard25: **You are not Matoro.

**That_Icy_Bastard25:** Thank God.

**Pet_Shop_Boy:** it's no big deal, i kinda got in trouble school

**That_Icy_Bastard25:** What happened?

**Pet_Shop_Boy:** i hit ehrye

**That_Icy_Bastard25:** ...I'm not sure whether to be proud or angry. Is he the one who's been bullying you since grade school?

**Pet_Shop_Boy: **yep

**Paka-Sama:** it was actually really funny, ehrye was all shocked and the teacher went light on mat's sentence because ehrye's such a prick

**Crazy_Pilot13:** lol he said prick

**That_Icy_Bastard25: **Shut up, Matau. Well, don't do it again, Matoro. But good for you.

**Pet_Shop_Boy:** lol thanks. he was really bugging me about working in a pet store

**Crazy_Pilot13:** what's wrong w/ working in a pet store?

**Pet_Shop_Boy: **exactly

**Paka-Sama:** ehrye's been bugging matoro since they were in kindergarten.

**That_Icy_Bastard25: **He's just jealous that Matoro's constantly had higher marks than him in every single subject they've ever taken together. And he has a good job instead of dancing around in a banana suit for the ice cream store.

**Pet_Shop_Boy:** that's not true, he's always better than me gym

**That_Icy_Bastard25:** Yes, but brains are what counts, not brawn. He's not even that great an athlete.

**Crazy_Pilot13:** if he bugs u again u should get nuju to come kick his ass

**That_Icy_Bastard25:** Shut UP, Matau. Actually, wait, that's not a bad idea.

**Paka-Sama:** btw how's the big guy, wenua

**That_Icy_Bastard25:** Speak of Whenua again and die.

**Crazy_Pilot13:** he's mad him b/c nua likes old stuff

**That_Icy_Bastard25:** Matau, turn your damn music down!

**Crazy_Pilot13:** you no u luv teh lama song

**That_Icy_Bastard25:** Excuse me, you two.

**Pet_Shop_Boy:** nuju?

**Paka-Sama:** Matau?

**Crazy_Pilot13:** yeah?

**Paka-Sama:** run.

**Crazy_Pilot13 appears to be offline. All messages will be delivered when they are logged in again.**

**Pet_Shop_Boy:** this could take a while.

**Paka-Sama:** I'm going 2 bed. night matoro.

**Pet_Shop_Boy:** ur rite. me 2. nite kopaka. nite nuju.

**Paka-Sama appears to be offline. All messages will be delivered when they are logged in again.**

**Pet_Shop_Boy appears to be offline. All messages will be delivered when they are logged in again.**

**That_Icy_Bastard25:** Gah. Now you're offline. Talk to me when you get this tomorrow night.

**That_Icy_Bastard25:** …Love you guys. Good night.

**That_Icy_Bastard25 appears to be offline. All messages will be delivered when they are logged in again.**


	4. 23: Emotional

**Here's today's theme. Not much to say here, I guess, except that this won't make any sense unless you've read Chapter 7 of Metru Uni. (I'm a sucker for non-canon parent-child relationships.)**

**Summary: Nidhiki's left to join the Dark Hunters. Dume's POV of the end of Chapter 7.**

**Characters: Dume, the Toa Metru (briefly), Lhikan, Nidhiki (mentioned)**

**Warnings: Uhhh...none.**

**Genre: Hurt/comfort and family, I guess.**

**Thanks for reading, and please review! Constructive criticism is always appreciated.**

#23—Emotional

"I am in control of my emotions!" (Spock, "The Naked Time", _Star Trek_)

Dume paused in his speech, both for dramatic effect and to sneak a glance at Lhikan. The former Fire Toa had definitely seen better days. His team was gone. Nine of them were dead, one had defected to the dark side, and he had lost his powers. The Toa Mangai were no more.

But that wasn't why Lhikan was sad, Dume knew. No, Lhikan was sad because the one person he'd trusted above all else, even Dume himself, was gone. Nidhiki had tried to take over the city with the Dark Hunters, and Lhikan had had no choice but to force him to leave the city forever. Nidhiki, who meant more to Lhikan than life itself. Nidhiki, who had been Lhikan's best friend even before they became Toa. Nidhiki, the foul-mouthed, constantly grouchy, pessimistic brother of the rarely sad, optimistic Lhikan.

He was gone.

And there was nothing either of them could ever do about it.

It wasn't as though he'd simply died and Lhikan could mourn him as the hero he'd always known. No, Nidhiki had betrayed everyone he'd ever cared about to get the city for himself, and Dume knew that now Lhikan couldn't help but wonder what other dark secrets the Air Toa had been keeping.

"Sir?"

Shaking himself out of it, Dume looked back to the Toa Metru. Nokama was the one who had spoken. Hastily, he resumed his speech, covering up the fact that he'd zoned out. Eventually, he was able to dismiss them, claiming he needed his 'beauty sleep.' It was the excuse he always gave; his trademark, if you will.

Dume noticed that Lhikan was shuffling towards the door as well. Turning in his chair, Dume mulled over whether he should talk to the boy or not. If it were Dume, he'd want to be alone, but he wanted Lhikan to know he'd be there for him. The only problem was that he didn't really know what to say or do.

The Turaga of Metru Nui had never been a very emotional person. When he'd given Lhikan his Toa powers all those years ago, he'd simply handed him, a complete stranger, a strangely glowing rock and proclaimed him a Toa. After that, they'd maintained a very professional relationship. Dume would send Lhikan and his team on missions, and Lhikan would lead them out of the cramped office. But over the years, Dume had come to think of the young Fire Toa as the son he'd never been able to have. Unbeknownst to everyone, Dume had once been married, but his wife died young, and he'd promised he would never remarry. But he'd always wanted a son, and Lhikan was everything he'd hoped for in one. It pained him to see him like this.

Dume snapped out of it as he noticed that Lhikan was almost out the door. "Lhikan," he said quickly, turning his computer chair to face the door. "A word, please."

Slowly, the young man turned to face his elder. "Yes?" he mumbled.

Surprising even himself, Dume stood up, strode to Lhikan, and after a slight pause, enveloped him in a hug. He felt his charge stiffen and almost smiled. Lhikan was as unused to receiving Dume's affection as Dume was giving it. Unsure where the words were coming from, Dume told Lhikan, "It's okay." Then he added, in a whisper, "I miss him too."

That did it. The tears that Dume had seen Lhikan holding back all afternoon bubbled up and overflowed, down Lhikan's face and onto the shoulder of Dume's suit. Neither said anything, no words were needed. They just let each other cry.


	5. 34: FBOMB

**XD I love this one. I don't think it's what the creator of the 100 Themes List had in mind when she put it there though...**

**Summary: Lhikan takes Nidhiki's potty mouth issues into his own hands.**

**Characters: Lhikan and Nidhiki**

**Warnings: Strong language. There's swearing in it. Very strong swearing. Not my first choice, but meh.**

**Genre: Humour. (WTH?)**

**Thanks for reading, and please review! Constructive criticism is always highly appreciated. (And please, no flames. I did warn you about the language.)**

#34—FUCK

"If you shoot a bullet, someone dies. When you drop a bomb, many die. If you hit a woman, love dies. But if you say the f-word, nothing actually happens. So here it comes, especially for you, the f-word." (The Count, _Pirate Radio_)

Lhikan was a very patient person. He could tolerate a lot. Losing his powers for the greater good? Okay. Christmas music being played in stores before Halloween was even over? Sure. Dume's rants about how things were better in the old days?

...

In small doses.

But swearing? No. Just NO. The biggest _NO_ you could possibly find anywhere. There aren't words to describe the sheer enormity of the _**NO**_ that was Lhikan's tolerance for swearing. The English language was so big; why did people have to use words like those words to describe what they thought or felt? There were plenty of other words. "Rats," for instance. (Except every time he said that, he felt like Charlie Brown for some reason...)

There was just one problem with his hatred of swearing, however.

His roommate, Nidhiki.

The Toa of Air had the biggest potty mouth you ever saw. Lhikan could deal with the occasional 'hell' or 'damn;' in fact even he used them sometimes, when he was really upset. But Nidhiki continually used stronger words, like 'shit' or, against all odds, the dreaded F-BOMB. And the worst of it was the fact that he knew about Lhikan's vehement hatred of the words. He knew what a big _**NO**_ it was. AND YET HE STILL DID IT. Sometimes, Lhikan wondered if he dropped the F-BOMB in front of him just to spite him.

Now, like mentioned before, Lhikan was a very patient person, but even someone with the patience of Buddha has his limits. And when those limits are pushed too far...expect wrath.

"NIDHIKI THOMAS CANE!"

Nidhiki winced. _How the hell did he find out my middle name?_ he wondered as he turned to face a fuming Lhikan. "What?" he asked innocently.

Lhikan pointed at him dramatically in true Professor Layton/Phoenix Wright style. "Stop flaunting your incessant use of swearing in front of me!"

Nidhiki stuck out his tongue. "Fuck you. I'll swear if I want."

Lhikan launched himself at him, pinning him to the floor. "I didn't want to have to use this," he lamented, "but your stubbornness leaves me no choice. I'll give you one last chance. Say you'll stop using that word, and I'll let you go."

"What word?" Nidhiki grinned. "Fuck?"

With a strangled yell, Lhikan produced a bar of the floweriest soap he'd been able to find at the grocery store and jammed it into Nidhiki's mouth. The Air Toa coughed and gagged and struggled, all in vain. Lhikan made him suck on the thing for five minutes before he allowed him to get up. "Now," he said patiently. "What have we learned?"

"That soap tastes like ass," he muttered, heading for the bathroom to rinse his mouth out. He was stopped by Lhikan, who held up the soap threateningly. Hanging his head in defeat, he mumbled an apology and promised never to use the F-BOMB or any other strong words ever again. This pleased Lhikan, who let him pass.

And that was how Nidhiki stopped using the F-BOMB.

...

At least in front of Lhikan.


	6. 48: Progress

**XD I wrote this one on Thursday-ish. If you don't know what Tim Horton's is, you may want to read this note first.  
Tim Hortons (a.k.a. Timmie's) is a coffee chain in Canada, similar to Dunkin' Donuts. Every spring, they have a 'Roll Up the Rim to Win' event, where you roll up the rim on your paper cup and see if you've won a prize. The thing is, this year is their 25th anniversary of this thing, so they've got 'better' odds of 1 in 6 as opposed to 1 in 9. But pretty much everyone I know (including me) barely wins anything, no matter how many coffees/teas/hot chocolates they buy. This is based on that (and their horrible ad campaign this year). For more information, check out "roll up the rim to win . com" (minus spaces).**

**Summary: Matau isn't happy with Tim Hortons's latest Roll Up the Rim campaign.**

**Characters: Matau, Nuju (mentioned), Onewa (mentioned), Whenua (mentioned), Vakama (mentioned), Nokama (mentioned)**

**Warnings: uh...a couple of swear words, blatant Timmie's-bashing**

**Genre: Humour/Parody**

**Thanks for reading, and please review! Constructive criticism is always appreciated.**

#48—Progress

"Progress is the root of all evil." (General Bullmoose, "Progress is the Root of All Evil," _Li'l Abner _[musical version])

Matau Storm's Roll Up the Rim 2011 Progress Report

_Day 1_

_Coffees Bought: 1_

_Prizes Won: 0_

I went to the Timmie's on campus today because Roll Up the Rim started today! I don't usually like coffee, but I'll do anything to win something awesome, like a car! Seriously, that's one of the prizes! And a barbeque, and a bike, and a TV! And food! I love food. And apparently there's a 1 in 6 chance of winning! I'm a shoe-in!

_Day 2_

_Coffees Bought: 2_

_Prizes Won: 0_

Still haven't won anything yet, but come on, it's only the second day.

_Day 5_

_Coffees__ Hot Chocolates Bought: 5_

_Prizes Won: 0_

Nuju told me that you can get RUTR cups with anything, not just coffee. Screw the coffee, then, I'm getting hot chocolates! Still haven't won anything, though.

_Day 6_

_Hot Chocolates Bought: 6_

_Prizes Won: 0_

TIM HORTONS LIES. I've bought six things, and I haven't won squat! Onewa says they don't put prizes (or at least good ones) in the medium size cups. Maybe I should try getting larges or extra larges, except Nuju said if I do that he'll kill me before the sugar starts to take hold.

_Day 10_

_Hot Chocolates Bought: 13_

_Prizes Won: 1_

Finally! I won me a free coffee! Whenua said that this year you can trade a free coffee for any hot drink, so tomorrow's hot chocolate is on them! Bwa-ha-ha!

Seriously, though, according to their odds, I should've won at least twice by now. I'm going, like, twice a day now and I've only won once. Vakama and Nokama usually come with me to Timmie's after class, and Vakama's won two donuts and Nokama still hasn't won anything. I wish I'd won twice, because Vakama got to be the gentleman and let her have one of his. Ass.

_Day 20_

_Hot Chocolates Bought: 33_

_Prizes Won: 5_

Three coffees and two donuts so far. Where's my bike, man? Come on!

You know what else is bugging me this year? Tim Hortons's ad campaign for RUTR this year. There's this random guy playing a guitar and singing some dumb song about how in Canada, we just canoe and snowshoe.

I've never been on snowshoes in my life and the last time I was in a canoe I accidentally tipped it over.

You suck, Tim Hortons. YOU SUCK.

_Day 25_

_Hot Chocolates Bought: 45_

_Prizes Won: 5_

I went home this weekend because it was my grandma's birthday.

Dad got a coffee on his way to get me, then we each got something on the way back. On the way to Grandma's in Toronto, we (Mom, Dad, Lewa, and me) each got something, and we brought my grandma tea. On the way back home, we (Mom, Dad, Lewa, and me) each got something again. Then when Mom was driving me back to school, we both got something.

That's 14 coffees I was around this weekend. AND NONE OF THEM WON ANY PRIZES. This is not going well.

_Day 30_

_Hot Chocolates Bought: 50_

_Prizes Won: 6_

Well, I've won yet another donut. This is getting out of hand. I want my TV, dammit!

_Day ?_

_Hot Chocolates Bought: ?_

_Prizes Won: 7_

I rolled up my rim and nearly screamed when I saw the word 'WIN!' But it was just another coffee.

_Day 620392179_

_Hot Chocolates Bought: 9999999999999_

_Prizes Won: 8_

I hate you, Tim Hortons. I'm never buying another thing from you again unless you give me some awesome prize in the next five days.

_Day X_

_Hot Chocolates Bought: Y_

_Prizes Won: 8_

Well, that does it. I'm never doing that again.

Plus, I've used up most of my meal plan on frigging hot chocolates. And I've probably gained like five pounds.

And GODDAMN NUJU JUST WON A TIM'S CARD. Screw this, I'm going back to just using the stamp cards at the caf if I want free food.

_Total prizes won: 8_

_Total money spent: I lost track after $10._

_Result: Failure._


	7. 9: Sacrifice

**La-de-da! It's another oneshot!  
Okay, just to warn you: this week's Metru Uni will be a little late because I haven't finished writing it. It's, like, 7 pages and still going, though, so it'll be nice and long as opposed to all the really short stuff I've been doing lately.**

**Summary: Everyone knows Lhikan gave up his powers...but Nidhiki was there, too. Why didn't he help?**

**Characters: Dume, Nidhiki, Lhikan**

**Warnings: one swear word. One.**

**Genre: uhhhh...I really don't know.**

**Thanks for reading, and please review! Constructive criticism is always highly appreciated.**

#9—Sacrifice

"And it's no sacrifice, no sacrifice, no sacrifice, at all." ("Sacrifice," by Elton John)

"You'll have to give up your Toa powers."

The two remaining Toa Mangai stared at their Turaga. "You've gotta be kiddin," Nidhiki said. "Who'll protect the city?"

"The new Toa," Dume stated. "It is their destiny. They need to stop whoever it is behind the attacks. It will be your job to guide them."

Nidhiki snorted. "Screw that. I didn't become a Toa just to babysit a bunch of rookies."

"While I don't exactly agree with Nidhiki's phrasing," Lhikan interrupted, "I have to agree. I mean, who's going to protect the city while the new Toa are still in training? They won't know what to do, how to use their powers without going out of control...and I'm sure, even though it was a long time ago, you remember what a scary experience it was to transform for the first time."

Dume cast his mind back and shuddered at the memory of searing pain burning through his body as it was stretched and shaped to the magic's liking. "All right, I'll give you that," he sighed. "But it's the only way."

"Not necessarily." Lhikan again. "The first time...it was just me, right?" Nidhiki glanced sharply at him. Where had he been? Why hadn't he helped? But that wasn't important. "I can do it again, and Nidhiki can protect the city while they train."

"Hey, whoa!" Nidhiki protested. "I can't let you do this alone!"

Steel glinted in the Fire Toa's eyes as he turned to face his comrade. "You did the first time."

"You don't know that," Nidhiki snapped. "For all you know, I could have died the first time."

"Stop, you two," Dume snapped. "Look, they're not all here yet, so we'll sleep on it and decide tomorrow, okay?"

"One question," Lhikan said. "What are we using as Toa Stones?"

Dume produced six candies from a bowl on his desk. "Oh, score," Nidhiki said, reaching for one. Dume slapped his hand away. "Ow, hey!"

"Look closer," he said. The two Toa did and saw that Mata Nui's symbol was on the wrappers.

"Where did you get those?" Lhikan asked.

"I made them. As the young people say, 'duh.'" He put them away again. "This way, we can explain after they've transformed and we won't seem crazy." He shooed them out of his office. "All right, out. My shift's almost done; then I can go home for some beauty sleep. We'll discuss this tomorrow."

"Candy, huh? Lot better than my Toa Stone," Nidhiki grumbled on their way back to their room.

"What was yours?"

"They implanted it when they took out my wisdom teeth."

"Ouch."

"Tell me about it. I thought I was just delirious from that funky gas they give you. What about you?"

"Dume's old fashioned. He actually gave me a stone."

"Wow. Nice to see he's updated."

* * *

Lhikan crept out of the apartment at midnight, when he was sure Nidhiki was asleep. He didn't mind giving up his powers if it was for the greater good, but Nidhiki had never been one for the 'Duty' part of 'Unity, Duty, Destiny.'

He snuck downstairs and told the guy in the security office that he was needed somewhere else in the building. When the guard came back, Lhikan was gone, and so were the six Toa Stone supplements.

* * *

Lhikan came back to the apartment and was met with an angry Nidhiki. "Where were you?" he asked patiently.

"Out," he answered lamely.

Nidhiki grabbed him by his shirt collar and slammed him against the wall. "You went and gave up your powers to those stupid candies, didn't you?" he snapped. Wordlessly, Lhikan nodded. "Dammit, Lhikan, I would have helped! Maybe neither of us would have lost our powers! Did you ever think about that?"

"I...I'm sorry. But it's too late now. I did it."

Nidhiki sighed, all the fight going out of him. "Lhikan, you...you didn't have to sacrifice your powers like that."

"It's no sacrifice," he said with a small smile. "Compared to what could have happened—and what might still happen—it's no sacrifice at all."


	8. 76: Give

**And so, here is today's oneshot. Because you know what? Kiina/Berix is an underloved pairing which I happen to adore-just like ALL THE OTHER UNLOVED PAIRINGS OUT THERE. Seriously, I think I'm the only person alive who ships Pohatu and Kopaka. /shot**

**Summary: Berix is torn up about Kiina leaving, and wants to give her something. What, though?**

**Characters: Kiina, Berix, Gresh (mentioned), Tarduk (mentioned), Tarix (briefly), Nokama**

**Warnings: Severe fluff. Lots and lots of fluff.**

**Genre: Friendship/Romance?**

**Thanks for reading, and please review! Constructive criticism is always highly appreciated.**

#76—Give

"It is more agreeable to have the power to give than to receive." (Winston Churchill)

"Berix!"

The fifteen-year-old winced at the sound of his best friend's voice. He turned around to see a very angry-looking girl with bright blue ponytails attempting to bore a hole in his head with her gaze.

"What have I said about taking my stuff without asking?" Kiina snapped. "I know you took my pens! Give them back, I need those for class."

Reluctantly, not even bothering to explain that he'd just found them (Kiina was really messy and was always losing things), Berix dug them out of his bag and handed them over. "Sorry," he mumbled.

Her face softened. "No, Berix, I'm sorry I yelled. But you're always taking stuff that doesn't belong to you. I just don't want it to develop into a problem."

He shrugged and grinned up at her. It irked him that she was taller than him, but there was still time to grow. "I only take your stuff, Kiina," he teased. "Mostly cuz I know it bugs ya."

She elbowed him playfully. "Well, knock it off, you klepto! I need this stuff!"

* * *

Three years later.

"Berix! Berix, you won't believe it!"

Berix yelped and stumbled forward slightly as a weight slammed into his back. "Owwww," he complained. "Get off, Kiina!"

"No, seriously," she said, hopping from foot to foot in excitement. "I got accepted into Mata Nui College!"

Berix froze. "In...in Canada?"

"Yeah! Isn't it awesome? Now I can finally get out of this stupid desert!"

The brunette tried to be happy for his friend. He plastered a smile on his face and forced a "Congratulations" past his lips. Kiina didn't seem to notice the fakeness of it all and just hugged him again before running off to share the good news with someone else—probably her cousin Gresh. Shaking his head, Berix turned and walked away with a sigh. She was leaving. Kiina was leaving. He just couldn't get it out of his head. She'd just always been there. He'd taken her for granted, assumed she always would be there. But now she was going to Canada, on the other side of the world. Sure she'd be back for holidays and stuff, but it wouldn't be the same.

No more sneaking out to go to a movie with Kiina, Gresh, Tarduk, and Tarix. No more hanging out and laughing at random nothing. No more stealing her stuff just to get her riled up and for an excuse to talk to her.

Most importantly, no more Kiina.

Berix had been secretly harbouring a crush on Kiina for almost five years. He liked that she was spunky and not afraid to speak her mind. She was kind of eccentric, and he liked that, too. But now she was leaving, and the one person who understood him best would be gone. Not even on the same continent.

_I should...I should do something nice for her,_ he decided. _But what?_

In his wanderings, Berix found himself outside a store. Happening to glance in the window, he saw it. _It's perfect,_ he thought. _Now I just need a way to get it._

* * *

"Good luck, Kiina!"

Most of her friends had turned up at the airport to say goodbye and wish her luck. Kiina beamed at them. "Thanks, guys! I'm going to miss you," she said, running around and giving them all a hug. Then she noticed someone was missing. "Wait, where's Berix?"

"Hey! Kiina!"

The familiar voice rang out across the busy airport as Berix tried to squeeze his way towards her. She laughed and made her way towards him. They ended up meeting halfway between their friends and the door. "Late as always, Berix," she teased jauntily. "You almost missed me."

Noting with some pleasure that she had to look up to look him in the eye, Berix shrugged. "Nah, I'd never miss this. I, uh..." Suddenly he turned red and looked down. "I have something for you." He thrust a small box at her.

Looking up at him suspiciously, she asked, "Did you steal this?"

"What? No! Of course not. I, um, saved up my money. I wanted to buy it for you."

"What is it?"

"You've got to open it to see."

Slightly shocked by this serious Berix—was this really the same guy she knew?—Kiina opened the box and gasped. Inside was a plain silver band—a ring. "Berix, what...?"

"I-I know you don't really like jewelry," he explained, "but I thought...sometimes it's nice to have the choice, you know? And it's just something simple and I know that you might be getting the wrong idea because it's a ring and all, but I just sort of thought of you when I saw it, I mean silver works well on you, and I hope I'm not being too forward or—"

"Berix, shut up a second," she said, holding up a hand. He immediately stopped talking. With a smile, she hugged him around the middle. "Thank you," she said. "I love it."

Blushing even worse now, he hugged her back. "No problem," he replied, relieved.

"Hey! Berix! Quit hogging Kiina!" Tarix called. "Other people want to say goodbye too, you know!"

Berix stuck his tongue out at him, but let go of Kiina and stepped back a little. As they walked over to their friends, he saw her turning the ring over in her hands and slipping it onto a finger. But he didn't see what finger she put it on.

All too soon, she was gone. Berix waved halfheartedly as she went through security and around the corner. Tarix clapped a hand on his shoulder. "She'll be back," he said encouragingly. "Give it time."

* * *

"Hi, Kiina!"

"Hi, Nokama!"

"What's the story, morning glory?"

"What's the word, hummingbird? Hey, guess what?"

Nokama hung her jacket in her room and poked her head into her roommate's room. "What?"

"I got an email from home! Apparently everyone's fine and Dad's finally getting out of his 'I miss my baby' mode."

"After what, two months?" Nokama glanced at Kiina's left hand by chance and saw a silver ring that she hadn't noticed before. "What's that?" she asked, pointing.

"Huh? Oh, this?" Kiina held up her hand and started playing with the ring on her left ring finger. "Someone really important to me gave it to me before I left. His name is Berix."

Nokama was shocked. "He proposed to you right before you left?"

"No, of course not! He just gave me the ring. But someday, I hope I can replace this with a wedding band."

The brunette raised an eyebrow. "From Berix?"

Kiina nodded, her face pink. "From Berix."


	9. 20: Memory

**Just want to say this: I love torturing Nidhiki. :D He's just torturable, I guess.  
My God Krekka's annoying. :(**

**Summary: "The thirteen-year-old Air Toa was now a twenty-year-old Dark Hunter. And he hadn't thought about his family in almost seven years."**

**Characters: Nidhiki, Nidhiki's mother, Lhikan (briefly), Kama (OC) (briefly), Dume (briefly), Krekka**

**Warnings: My poor attempts at angst?**

**Genre: Hurt/Comfort/Family, I suppose...**

**Thanks for reading, and please review! Constructive criticism is always highly appreciated.  
*I don't own Bionicle, but I do own character designs, OC's, etc. You can use them if you ask first, though.***

#20—Memory

"Memory, all alone in the moonlight...I can smile at the old days...I was beautiful then." (Grizabella, "Memory," _CATS_)

_"Bye, Mom, I'm going out."_

_"Nidhiki, hold on a second."_

_The dark-haired thirteen-year-old stopped with one foot out the door. His mom was standing there, her arms folded and a frown on her face. It was a frown that said "You are in serious crap, Mister."_

_"You've been going out a lot lately," she said. "Mind telling me where?"_

_That was an order, no matter how it had been phrased. Nidhiki scowled. "Just out. Geez, Mom, I'm thirteen. I can take care of myself."_

_"I never said you couldn't. But you're always going out somewhere and you never tell me where you are."_

_"Does this mean you're finally letting me get a cell phone?"_

_"I'm serious about this, Nid."_

_"So am I. Look, seriously, Mom, I'm just going out to meet Lhikan somewhere. It's no big deal."_

_In actuality, he was going to Mata Nui College to meet his Toa team so they could have their daily training session. But he couldn't really tell her that. "Oh, yeah, Mom, me and a bunch of other kids are training to save the world." Yeah, that'd go over real well._

_But apparently to her it __was__ a big deal. "You tell me what's going on this minute, Nidhiki Thomas Cane, or I'll—"_

_That did it. Nidhiki was sick of hiding. He was sick of the lectures. He was sick of everything! A hurricane force gale blasted through the house, knocking over several chairs and photo frames. His mother stumbled back and glanced sharply at her son, who was in full Toa dress, with his arms raised over his head. He cut off the winds and turned back to normal. "I'm leaving," he snapped, stomping out the door, "and that's that." With that, he slammed the door._

_Her shock soon turned to fury. She ripped the door open and screamed, "Fine! Leave! And don't you ever come back—you freak!"_

* * *

_"Hey, Nidhiki—whoa, what happened?"_

_Nidhiki glared at the Ice Toa on the Toa Mangai, Kama. He was three years younger than Nidhiki, and very aloof, but he noticed certain things. Like when people weren't feeling the greatest._

_He had yet to perfect the little skill called 'tact' though._

_Pushing past the ten-year-old, Nidhiki went straight for Lhikan. "My mom kicked me out," he said simply._

_Lhikan blinked. "Wait...what?"_

_"My mom. Kicked me. Out."_

_The leader's shoulders dropped. "Oh, God, Nid," he said, pulling him into a hug. "I'm so sorry."_

_For the first time since it had happened, Nidhiki felt tears come to his eyes. "I...I..."_

_He felt a hand on his shoulder and looked up to see Dume. "I will speak with her," he informed him quietly. Nidhiki nodded._

* * *

Nidhiki never did really find out what Dume talked to his mom about. All he knew was that his parents skipped town pretty quick afterwards and he started living with Dume. When Lhikan's parents died two months later, he started living with them too, and they went to a new school together in Le-Metru.

The Dark Hunter wasn't sure why that memory suddenly decided to show itself after all these years. The thirteen-year-old Air Toa was now a twenty-year-old mutated Dark Hunter. And he hadn't thought about his family in almost seven years.

Then he paused as he was walking. Had he just seen—? No, it couldn't have been.

His partner, Krekka, looked back at him. "Nidhiki?" he asked. "Why'd you stop?"

Ignoring him like usual, Nidhiki turned around, making sure his extra arms were tucked securely against his chest inside his coat. Sure enough, there it was: his old house. It had certainly seen better days—shingles were falling off the roof, the paint was peeling, and the lawn was so overgrown that Nidhiki half expected a tiger or something to come leaping out of it at him.

"Nidhiki? Hey, Nidhiki. Nidhiiiiiiiikiiiiiiiiiiii. Hey hey hey. Nidhiki."

"What the hell do you want?" he snapped, whirling around to face the albino.

"We going or what?"

Shaking the memory off, Nidhiki nodded. "Let's get out of here," he grumbled, leading the way.


	10. 18: I  Can't

**This takes place after #20: Memory, so I thought it would be a good idea to post it today. I kind of wanted to give Nidhiki's backstory a bit of a happier ending. :) That and I just wanted to write about Dume more XD I love Dume. Seriously.  
And I know he's kind of OOC in this, but come on, the poor guy just got kicked out of his home!**

**Summary: Dume tries to convince Nidhiki's parents to let him move back in with them.**

**Characters: Dume, Sophia (OC), Chris (OC), Lhikan, Nidhiki**

**Warnings: Crappy parents. And an angry Dume.**

**Genre: Hurt/Comfort/Family?**

**Thanks for reading, and please review! Constructive criticism is always highly appreciated.  
*I don't own Bionicle, but character designs, OC's, etc. all belong to me. You can use them if you ask first, though.***

#18—I. Can't.

"Whether you think you can or you can't, you're always 100% right." (Greg Hickman)

Dume looked over his folded hands at the woman in front of him. Her name was Sophia Cane, and two days ago she had discovered that her son, Nidhiki, was an elemental hero called a Toa. An Air Toa, to be exact. And she hadn't exactly taken the news well.

Thirteen-year-old Nidhiki was currently living with Dume until the whole thing blew over, and Dume sincerely hoped it would blow over soon. Try as he might to hide it, Nidhiki was very upset over being forced out of his home. And rightfully so. Dume had come to talk to Sophia and her husband, Chris, in the hopes of getting them to change their minds and take him back in.

Finally, the sallow-faced woman spoke. "We appreciate your coming to us," she said, steel glinting in both her eyes and her voice, "but we can't go back on our decision. Nidhiki is a freak. I won't be associated with his kind."

Dume looked at dark-haired Chris in the hopes that he could be persuaded, but was met with a shake of the head. "Nidhiki could never come back here," he said. "I'm sorry, but we...Sophia and I...we can't guarantee his safety here. I can't...we can't. I'm sorry."

The old Turaga's eyes flashed angrily. "Do you realise what this is doing to your son?" he asked quietly. "Do you know how he's taking this? Do you even care at all about Nidhiki?

"Don't apologise if you don't mean it," he snapped, standing up. "You would rather see Nidhiki die than have your own social standing in jeopardy. You make me sick. You say that you can't have him come back here? Well I can't, with clear conscience, send him. No, Nidhiki will stay with me. And you will tell no one of this, is that understood? Because if you do..." His eyes flashed again. "I may not have my fire power anymore, but I will find out, and there will be hell to pay. I suggest you leave this city immediately; start anew elsewhere. Is that understood?"

The Canes nodded fearfully. "Excellent." Dume immediately went back to his more pleasant self. "Now, I have a few more things to discuss, then I'll be on my way."

* * *

"Oh, Dume, thank goodness you're back!"

The lanky blonde ran up to him, panting. Dume immediately went on the alert. "What's the matter, Lhikan?"

"It's Nidhiki...I can't...I can't get him to stop crying!"

His tense shoulders relaxed. "Ah. I see. I'll talk to him. Where is he?"

Lhikan pointed to Dume's office, and when Dume walked in, there was Nidhiki, sitting in Dume's swivel chair. Sure enough, there were tears pouring down his face. Dume knelt in front of him. "Hey, now, don't cry, Nidhiki."

"I c-can't," he sniffed. "I can't st-stop."

Dume frowned. "I can't, I can't. It seems like that's the only thing I've been hearing today! Listen here, Nidhiki Thomas Cane." Nidhiki lifted his tear-filled green eyes to look at Dume's brown ones. "You can do whatever you want," he said kindly. "Well, within reason, of course. I talked to your...to those fools who call themselves your parents. They refused to have you back—a stupid move on their part." Nidhiki let out a quiet sob. "I know. But you need to come with me tomorrow to get your things. Then you'll be moving in with me. Okay?" Nidhiki nodded. "Good lad." Nidhiki nodded again, not meeting Dume's eyes. "Nidhiki." He looked up again. Hesitantly, Dume pulled the thirteen-year-old into a hug. "It's okay," he said quietly. "Everything will be okay."

_I can't do a lot of things,_ Dume thought, _but I can promise him that._


	11. 51: In the Rain

**8D Hewkii + Macku = BEST. PAIRING. EVER.  
And granted, they probably won't show up much (if at all) in Metru Uni, sadly, so I had to get my Hewkii/Macku out now. *shrugs* Cuz it's CUTE and FLUFFY and GAH.**

**Summary: She was drenched, cold, and grumpy. On the bright side, there was no way the day could get any worse.**

**Characters: Macku, Hewkii**

**Warnings: LOTS AND LOTS OF FLUFF. BEWARE.**

**Genre: Romance, I guess.**

**Thanks for reading, and please review! Constructive criticism is always highly appreciated.**

#51—In the Rain

"There must be some misunderstanding! There must be some kind of mistake! I waited in the rain for hours—you were late." ("Misunderstanding" by Genesis)

"Aaaa-choo!"

Macku wiped her nose on the back of her hand. Great, now she had a cold. This better not affect her performance in the soccer tournament tomorrow.

She was waiting for a bus to take her from the soccer field to her street. And it had started to rain almost as soon as she got there. And of _course_ there wasn't a bus shelter at said bus stop. Of _course_ there was just a stupid bench and a little orange sign that read 'BUS STOP.' On the bright side, though, there was no way the day could get any worse.

"Scuse me."

Macku nearly jumped out of her skin at the voice behind her. She turned to see a boy about her age, wearing soaking wet sweats and soggy Nikes. Despite the fact that he was obviously soaked through, he had an easygoing grin on his face. "Is this bus going to the Ramada Inn?" he asked.

She nodded. "Yeah, but it takes like half an hour."

His grin widened. "Awesome, thanks!" He stretched his back and stuck out his hand. "The name's Hewkii."

After hesitating briefly, she shook his hand. "Macku. You're not from around here, are you?"

Hewkii shook his head. "Nope, I'm from Po-Metru. I'm just here for a sports meet."

Obviously he'd never gotten (or absorbed) the 'don't give out personal information to strangers' lecture. Macku tilted her head. "The one at Central Fields?"

"Yeah, that one! How'd you know?"

"I'm in that too. I play soccer."

His eyes widened. "No way. Me too! Wait, there's no way you play soccer."

She gaped at him. What was that supposed to mean? Pretty much everyone she met was like "Oh definitely, I could tell," when she told them she played soccer. She had what her friend Gali called 'soccer legs,' meaning they were very muscular and not, well, 'pretty.' "What do you mean, 'there's no way you play soccer?'" she asked incredulously.

He flashed another easygoing grin at her. "You're too pretty! Pretty girls don't play soccer."

She couldn't see it, but she was sure her face had flushed bright red. Pretty! She'd never been called 'pretty' in her whole life! She was Macku Tsunami, everyone's little sister. Sure, she'd been called 'cute' a few times, but it was always a little sister or best friend cute, not a hey-you're-cute-want-to-go-out-sometime cute. And now this complete stranger was..._flirting_ with her? Calling her pretty, even though she was drenched from standing in the rain? The apocalypse was nigh!

Now it was his turn to tilt his head. "What's the matter? You look like no one's ever called you pretty before!"

Macku turned away, fiddling with the ends of her short hair. "Uh, never mind. It's nothing."

Thankfully, the bus chose that moment to arrive. She was glad to get out of the rain, finally, and away from the awkwardness that Hewkii brought out in her.

Sadly, though, he followed her onto the bus. "Crummy weather, huh?" he said, shaking his hair. She couldn't help but laugh at the water that it sent flying everywhere. "There we go, a smile!" he crowed.

Most of the bus ride was spent with Hewkii trying to get Macku to talk to him, and Macku laughing at some of his more ridiculous jokes. Then the automated voice said, "Ramada Inn."

"Hey, awesome, there's actually a stop right in front of it?" Hewkii said, tugging the stop request cord. "Cool!"

Macku shook her head. What a weird guy.

He stood up. "So, I guess I'd better be going," he said. "Maybe I'll see you tomorrow?"

Despite herself, Macku found herself nodding. "I...I'd like that."

He gave another grin and a fist pump. "Awesome! I'll see you then!" And he was gone.

The soccer player shook her head. What was that? She hadn't even cared that she'd been outside, getting (more) soaked in the rain, because she was with a guy she'd barely met. And he thought she was pretty. This was something to bring up with Gali and Hahli later—they were more versed in this stuff than she was.


	12. 22: The Old Days

**Okay, so the original plan was to have the next chapter of Metru Uni up today, but it's still not done. I keep adding plot points and stuff...it's going to be another long one. So instead we have this, which (I think) reinforces Dume's awesomeness. XD**

**Summary: Dume had that look. It said, "I'm about to go on a rant and you're going to listen like your life depends on it."**

**Characters: Dume, Lhikan, Nidhiki (briefly), Tuyet (mentioned), Kama (OC) (mentioned), Fento (OC) (mentioned), Naho (mentioned)**

**Warnings: a ranting Dume. |3**

**Genre: Humour. Definitely.**

**Thanks for reading, and please review! Constructive criticism is always highly appreciated.  
*I don't own Bionicle, but I do own character designs, OC's, etc. You can use them if you ask first, though.***

#22—The Old Days

"Kids! They are just impossible to control! Kids! With their awful clothes and their rock and roll! Why can't they be like we were—perfect in every way? What's the matter with kids today?" (Mr. and Mrs. MacAffee, "Kids!",_ Bye Bye Birdie_)

The five remaining Toa Mangai shuffled out of the cramped office, except for one. Lhikan stayed behind, waving his roommate Nidhiki out. Dume had that look on his face. It was the look that said, "I'm about to go on a rant and you are going to listen as though your life depends on it."

"Something wrong, Dume?" he asked innocently.

Dume's head snapped up. "It's these darn young Toa! Thinking they know everything...why, I was saving the world when their parents were in diapers!"

Lhikan sat down. This would take a while.

"Take Tuyet, for instance," he continued. "She says she wants people to know about Toa, that their existence shouldn't be secret anymore. Well, imagine what would happen if people knew there were real live superheroes living among them. Mass panic, that's what would happen! When my Toa team was around, we were quite content living in secrecy and never getting any thanks for our work. Just knowing that we were keeping the balance between chaos and control was enough for us. But not today's Toa! Oh, no!

"Then there's Kama," he continued, naming the last remaining Toa of Ice on the team. "What happened to working together? He's constantly going off on his own. I know that as a general rule, Ice Toa are cold and distant, but let's not forget that Unity is one of the three Virtues! Even Fento, the Toa of Ice on my old team, understood that!

"And let's not forget about Nidhiki. What happened to him? The first time I met him, he was all rainbows and sunshine. Now he's Mister Doom-and-Gloom. I've never seen such a pessimistic person. Lhikan, you knew him even before I did, right?" Without waiting for a reply, Dume ploughed on. "He was never like this before, was he? Maybe it's his disappearing teammates that has him on edge. I know it's making me upset.

"That's another thing. It didn't use to be that you could just up and kidnap a Toa. The dark ones are getting better. That's not good.

"Another thing," he said loudly, and Lhikan jumped at the sudden volume change. "Naho is..." He trailed off as he saw that Lhikan was glowering at him. It was common knowledge that Lhikan liked Naho as way more than his sister-in-arms. He was very touchy about her, and Dume wisely decided not to push his luck. The Turaga cleared his throat and changed the subject. "In short, things used to be so great. What happened?"

Lhikan waited a moment, making sure that Dume was done. Then he stood up and clapped a hand on Dume's shoulder. "Times changed," he said simply, walking out of the room.

Dume looked at his hands, folded in his lap. "I know," he said sadly. "I wish they hadn't."


	13. 43: Fire

**It just occurred to me that I haven't been uploading anything at all lately, so I figured I should remedy this.  
For the record, I know nothing about the laws of physics. I literally made up the whole thing about oxygen and fire and stuff, since there's no known way to test that. Please don't kill me or I'll never finish the next chapters of my fics...**

**Summary: Lhikan learns that with great power comes great responsibility.**

**Characters: Lhikan, Dume, Helryx (mentioned)**

**Warnings: ummm...none. Besides my fail physics.**

**Genre: good question. :/**

**Thanks for reading, and please review! Constructive criticism is always highly appreciated.  
*I don't own Bionicle, but character designs, OC's, etc. all belong to me. You can use them if you ask first, though.***

#43—Fire

"You know, the very existence of flamethrowers proves that sometime, somewhere, someone said to themselves, 'You know, I want to set those people over there on fire, but I'm just not close enough to get the job done.'" (George Carlin)

A young boy wearing a red tunic sat by himself in a chair in the security office, waiting for his mentor to return. He'd just met the man a couple of days ago, and so much had happened already.

The man claiming to be some kind of superhero had handed him a perfectly round, smooth stone and declared him a 'Toa,' whatever that was. Then the rock had started to glow, and he'd felt like he was on fire. But the pain had quickly subsided, and when he'd opened his eyes, he was wearing the red-and-gold outfit that he'd come to know as his Toa uniform.

Now, Lhikan Sparks snapped his fingers. A small flame began to grow, the light dancing on his enthralled face. Fire was amazing. He'd always been a little bit of a pyromaniac, but he tried to keep that part of him under control. Fire was amazing, yes, and beautiful, too, but it had so much potential for destruction that it had to be carefully moderated.

Hopefully, this 'Dume' guy could tell him what he needed to know so he didn't accidentally burn down his house or anything.

His thoughts were interrupted by the sound of someone clearing his throat. Lhikan looked up to see Dume standing in the doorway. The forty-something man had what Lhikan called 'Reed Richards' hair—still mostly dark, but with greying sideburns. He was tall and strong-looking, and he looked quite imposing in his black suit with a bright red tie.

Dume smiled down at Lhikan. "Well, you seem to be getting the hang of things."

Lhikan realised that he still had a small fireball dancing on his fingertips and quickly snuffed it out. "Oh, I just..."

"It's alright. I remember what it was like for me for the first little while, too." Dume walked to his desk. "I'm going to have to send you to an old friend of mine for some training. You're only ten, right?" He glanced back at Lhikan, who nodded. "In that case, if you need a ride, I can drive you." He noticed that Lhikan wasn't really paying attention; he was looking at his hands. Dume strode over and knelt in front of him. "I know it's kind of overwhelming," he said kindly, "but you need to learn control—and fast. Fire powers are some of the most difficult to control, because what starts out as a small spark can quickly become a big blaze if you're not careful. Being a Toa of Fire isn't just about creating fire, either," he continued, standing and going into lecture-and-pace mode. "It's also about stopping the spread of fire, creating heat and light, and using the element of oxygen to your advantage. Be careful: sometimes, a fire created from nothing will burn away at the oxygen in a room, creating a death trap even for the one who controls it."

Dume looked down at his charge, who was staring at him with eyes wide as dinner plates. "But you don't need to worry about that right now. Right now, you need to be concerned with not setting yourself on fire." He hadn't thought it was possible, but Lhikan's eyes widened. Seeing that he'd completely failed at making Lhikan feel a little more comfortable, Dume cleared his throat again and turned back to his desk. "Yes, well," he said. "Let's set up an appointment with my friend Helryx for you, shall we?"

Lhikan stared at himself. He could do all those things Dume said he could? He was in awe...completely scared-out-of-his-wits awe. The new Toa made a promise to himself: he would master his powers and become the greatest Fire Toa that Metru Nui had ever seen.

If only he'd known how right he was.


	14. 90: Eventually

**I've felt bad for neglecting these, even though I already had a whole bunch done and ready to be posted...so here's a Matau-centric fic to make up for it!  
Yes, it's Matau-centric. It's not about the Ice Toa, or Lhikan, or Dume, or any of those other characters I obsess over constantly. It's about Matau.  
Although Nuju is in it to /shotshotbricked  
Inspired in part by the fact that in the MNOLG, the Le-Matoran refer to Matau as 'the Singer,' meaning that he can sing, and does so, and does so well. :) Also, Matau needs more character development in this if he's going to resemble a three-dimensional character at all.**

**Summary: "Eventually is better than never." Matau loves his music, but has doubts about whether he could succeed in the music industry.**

**Characters: Nuju, Matau, Kongu (mentioned), Lewa (mentioned), Tamaru (mentioned)**

**Warnings: er...none, unless serious Matau counts.**

**Genre: Friendship? Inspiration? I DON'T KNOW!**

**Thanks for reading, and please review! Constructive criticism is always highly appreciated.  
*I don't own Bionicle, but I do own character designs, OC's, etc. You can use them if you ask first, though. I also don't own the song 'The Entertainer,' that belongs to the awesomeness that is Billy Joel.***

90—Eventually

"Don't worry, we'll get him—eventually!" (Mr. Incredible, _The Incredibles_)

Nuju yawned as he opened his door. It was late at night, and he was tired from a long day of classes and training. All he wanted to do was flop into bed and sleep for a couple of days.

No...he couldn't sleep for a couple of days. There was going to be a clear view of Venus tomorrow night. He'd have to be up for that.

He was so preoccupied with his thoughts that he almost missed the music coming from Matau's room. At first he dismissed it as more of Matau's silly song obsession, but after a few seconds, he could tell it was different. There was just one instrument, a guitar—acoustic, at that—and the singing voice sounded familiar.

_Oh, my God,_ Nuju thought. _Is that Matau?_

He knocked, and the music stopped. "Yeah?" Matau called. Nuju opened the door to see Matau sitting on his bed, one foot propped up on his milk-crate-turned storage-container, an acoustic guitar in his lap. It had been him. Nuju had had no idea that Matau played the guitar and sang—and did so well.

"Matau, you...why didn't you ever tell anyone you were this good?" Nuju asked.

Uncharacteristically, Matau ducked his head and blushed at the compliment. "I'm really self conscious about my music, that's all. My friend Kongu's talked about starting a band a couple of times, but I always hesitate."

"Why? You're good."

Matau glared suspiciously at him. "What's with you today, Nuju? You're being unusually social and complimentary."

Nuju frowned. You try to be nice for once and you're just met with suspicion and scepticism! "Whatever," Nuju muttered, turning to go. Matau's voice stopped him.

"It's not that I don't like playing the guitar," he said. Nuju looked back at him. He was looking down at the guitar fondly, like a favourite grandchild. "I love it. I've been playing for years now. I do it all—Simon and Garfunkel, Green Day, Barenaked Ladies, even some Beethoven arrangements. It's just...I don't know if a musician's life is the life for me. I don't want to be a starving artist—that's why I'm here, to get a stable job."

For once, Matau was talking sense, so Nuju encouraged him to go on by turning back around and raising an eyebrow. Now that he'd started, Matau didn't seem able to stop, like he'd been holding it back. "Someday, I want to get married and have kids. A life on the road as a musician doesn't seem fair to them. I want to be someone my parents can be proud of, so they can say their kid's a pilot instead of a starving busker in Montreal. Besides, it takes a long time to get anywhere in the music business."

Nuju listened to Matau ramble on about the other reasons he shouldn't start a band with Kongu. Finally, he interrupted him. "It sounds more like you're spouting excuses and reasons other people have given you," he told him bluntly. Matau flinched; apparently Nuju had struck a nerve. "If your parents are any good, they'll support you in whatever decision you make. And who cares how long it takes to get noticed? If your friend Kongu is as good as you are, you'll be snapped up right away."

Matau gave a tiny smile. "Kongu plays the piano and sings. We want my brother Lewa and his friend Tamaru in there too—Lewa plays the trumpet, sax, and electric guitar, and Tamaru plays the drums."

"There, you've got the basics covered. All you have to do is ask Kongu if he's still interested."

Matau was silent for a long time—a rare feat for him. Finally, he spoke up again. "I guess if we did do it...we'd get noticed eventually, right?"

Nuju nodded. "Eventually is better than never. Besides, it might come sooner than you think."

"Be proactive, not reactive, right?" Matau joked, recounting one of Nuju's favourite sayings.

Nuju's mouth twitched into a semblance of a smile. "Right." He checked his watch. "I need to go to bed. Think about what I've said, though." He turned to go, then paused. "By the way, what was that song you were playing when I came in? I didn't recognise it."

"It's called the Entertainer, by Billy Joel," Matau explained. "It's a good representation of the music business."

Nuju nodded. "I see. Well, good night." As he closed the door behind him, he heard Matau starting up again.

"I am the Entertainer, and I know just where I stand: another serenader, and another long-haired band! Today I am your champion, I may have won your hearts, but I know the game and you'll forget my name and I won't be here in another year if I don't stay on the charts!"

Nuju shook his head. Matau needed to figure out what he wanted—and fast. Eventually was sooner than never, true, but graduation was a lot sooner than eventually, and if he really wanted this, he needed to go for it now.


	15. 21: No Way Out

**Wow, it's certainly been a while since I posted one of these. I've been wanting to post this for a while, and since everyone pretty much knows who our Main Bad Guy is, I figured screw waiting for the reveal, no one reads these anyway! XD Plus I'm proud of myself for writing in the present tense for once.**

**Summary: Dume is a prisoner inside his own head, and there is nothing he can do about it.**

**Characters: Dume, Teridax, Toa Metru (mentioned), Lhikan (mentioned), Helryx (mentioned)**

**Warnings: the general creepiness that is synonymous with Teridax.**

**Genre: I have absolutely no idea.**

**Thanks for reading, and please review! Constructive criticism is always highly appreciated.  
*I don't own Bionicle, but I do own character designs, OC's, etc. You can use them if you ask first, though.***

21—No Way Out

"I don't believe in a no-win situation." (Captain Kirk, _Star Trek_)

He sees. He knows. And he is powerless to stop it.

Every day, Dume looks at the world through his own eyes, but also through the eyes of Makuta Teridax. When his body moves, it is not because of his own will, but because the being using his body wishes it. The words he speaks are not his own—again, they come from Teridax.

Dume is a prisoner inside his own head, and there is nothing he can do about it.

Teridax enjoys this. He taunts Dume with it. While on the outside he's acting, talking and generally being like Dume, inside his head he is providing Dume with footnotes and commentary about how ironic it is that the girl that thanked him for giving her directions will soon be crushed beneath his heel. How amusing it will be when the Toa realize just who it was that hired the Dark Hunters that attacked them. How powerless Vakama will feel once he hands over the Mask of Time. Dume tries not to listen, but there is no way to block out a voice inside your own head—and so Teridax continues his slow torture.

His unwanted guest's acting is so flawless that none of the Toa notice, nor his employees, nor the Matoran. Dume doubts that even Lhikan or Helryx would be able to notice a change. The Makuta acts and reacts exactly the way that Dume would, and it's very convincing. Dume would be impressed if it wasn't such a bad thing.

He occupies his time by sending the angriest thoughts he can in Teridax's direction, but it doesn't affect him very much. If anything, it just encourages him. When Dume struggles to free his mind, however, Teridax clamps down on him so hard it actually causes his spirit physical pain.

"You may as well just accept it, Turaga," Teridax says. "There is no way out of this. Your city will fall, your allies will die, and you are going to be the cause of it all."

_As long as I still have my own free will,_ Dume replies, _I will never surrender!_

This annoys Teridax the most, as he cannot destroy the spirit of his host or the body will die, and that would destroy any hope of his precious Plan succeeding. Dume prides himself on having found one way to antagonise the shadow, and finds every opportunity to use this against him, even at the cost of physical pain.

_You cannot devastate the spirit and faith of a follower of Mata Nui!_ he cries. Then he screams as a fresh wave of pain courses through him.

What small solace he gets from his rebellion is dampened by the fact that deep in the back of his mind, he knows that Teridax is right. There is no way out of this situation unless Makuta is forced to leave. Dume can't force him out, and no one else knows what has happened.

Dume is finally living up to his name.

He is doomed.


End file.
